Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Women's Empower Expo Coming to DC


From our friends at the Women Empower Expo...

From Adversity to Inspiration, Women Empower Expo Comes to DC, Featuring Keynote Speaker Cleo Wade

Alexa Carlin is no stranger to adversity. She founded her first company at the age of 17, Carlin started her first business at the age of 17, a jewelry line that made bracelets for the OmniPeace Foundation. Later while attending the University of Florida, Carlin started the inspirational blog Hello Perfect, a blog that elicited quotes from celebrities ranging from Shaquille O'Neal to Mark Cuban. These endeavors enabled Carlin, who in high school was too shy to raise her hand in class, to build confidence - her mission, to promote self-esteem in girls and women. In the midst of all of this, she was rushed to the hospital where one, then five then 25 doctors were called to the emergency room where she was rushed - not being able to breathe. She had suddenly gone into septic shock and the family was told she had a 1% chance to live. Miraculously, she walked out of the hospital six months later, but constant ingestion of antibiotics had destroyed her system. Since then, she has been passionate about making a difference in others lives through her entrepreneurial endeavors. She continues to suffer from autoimmune disease, but has managed to rise above it despite severe constant physical pain.

Alexa has dedicated her life to doing one thing: inspiring people to dream big and believe in themselves. To that end, she founded Women Empower Expo (WEX) that will be coming to DC at The Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW) on May 26th, 2018.  Tickets are available at https://womenempowerx.com/washingtondc/.


Hello Perfect’s online community inspired her concept for WEX in 2016. Alexa grew WEX to become the largest event for female entrepreneurs on the east coast with planned expansion to more areas in the near future. Through WEX, Alexa has created a platform for women entrepreneurs to gain support, find funding, and meet other like-minded women.

WEX is an experiential one-day event, which is filled with workshops, panels, breakout sessions, a pitch competition, networking lounge, woman-owned marketplace, author book signings, mindset stage and much more. The mission for all of the events is to empower, educate and equip women with the knowledge and community to create and grow successful businesses.

At WEX women will be able to learn from industry experts and female leaders, network with entrepreneurs and change-makers, discover tools and strategies to take their businesses to the next level, and feel empowered to create a positive change. Whether attendees are passionate about wellness, interested in learning about digital marketing, ready to get funding for their businesses; they will be able to choose their own sessions and explore unique activations customizing the WEX Experience to their specific passions, businesses, and interests.

WEX also works with the nonprofit, My Girlfriend’s House. Hosting a teen entrepreneur expo within their expo. 14 teen entrepreneurs will showcase their businesses to attendees in a contest in which the winner will receive a monetary ‘investment’ and business coaching.

The keynote speaker at WEX will be Cleo Wade. Cleo Wade is a poet, artist, and speaker. She is an inspiring force, blending positivity, femininity, and arresting honesty in her absorbable, heartfelt work. Cleo's artwork is founded on the idea that art should not only be accessible to all but that it should serve all people, inspiring some of her larger scale public art installations across the country. Cleo has been featured on the lists of America's 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire, 100 Most Creative People In Business by Fast Company, Woke 100 from Essence, and Next Generation of Socially Conscious Women by Vogue. She has also been featured by The New York Times, Vogue, Essence, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Teen Vogue, Vogue Italia, New York Magazine, Glamour, Refinery 29, W Magazine, V Magazine, and People.

Other confirmed WEX speakers include:

• Abir Ibrahim, Founder & CEO, Inua Naturals and UNICEF USA's Community Engagement Fellow
• Shavone Riggins, Founder & CEO, Curlkalon Hair
• Ivo Lukas, Founder & CEO, 24Notion
• Da'Shaurn Antoinette Joseph, Bid Manager/ Sales Engineer, DXC Technology
• Kinosha Soden, Producer/ Product Developer of Good Things DC and Former Mrs. DC America 2016
• Maria James, Founder & CEO, Pocket of Money
• Danielle Dupree, Host of "Up Yours" Podcast & Founder of "The IntrovertMind"
• Denita Austin, Best-Selling Author & Publisher
• Nancy Greene, Esquire & CEO
• Mercedes Naomi, Founder, The Good News Community Kitchen
• M. Reese Everson, Director, B.A.B.E.S. in the Workplace
• Dr. Towanna Burrous, President, CoachDiversity Institute

Confirmed Panels & Breakouts include:

• Charge Your Worth: How To Master The Art Of Selling
• Turning Fear Into Fortune: How To Break Through The Fear of Failure
• Time's Up: Tools for Handling Sexual Harassment
• Women in STEAM - An interactive discussion on hidden figures in the workplace
• Overcoming Barriers as a female social entrepreneur
• From Passion To Profit- Lessons Learned From Successful Female Entrepreneurs
• The Beginner's Guide to Facebook Advertising
• 5 Legal Landmines That Can Destroy Your Business (and how to navigate them)
• Investing In your business: What's important to spend money on and where you can save
• Emotional Intelligence: How To Use It To Grow Your Business
• Turn Your Story Into A Book
• How to Stand Out on LinkedIn to Attract a Sea of Clients
• Confessions of a Career Mom
• Reinvent Yourself! How To Successfully Pivot In Business & Life

For further information and tickets to WEX, please visit https://womenempowerx.com/washingtondc/.